Kouga in a Trap
by Fedic
Summary: The wolf demons have come under attack by a new enemy.Kouga must put an end to the slaughter, but is it just a trap to get his jewel shards?


Kouga in a Trap

The group stood in a loose circle in the clearing taking a break from their ceaseless walking. A sudden wind picked up and Kouga appeared at the edge of the clearing closest to Inu Yasha. "I thought I smelled dog shit," he teased Inu Yasha as he walked over to where the girls stood together.

Inu Yasha was instantly annoyed. "What do you want Kouga?" he growled.

Kouga stopped and faced the hanyou. "I don't got time for you today mutt. There's trouble with the western tribes and I gotta get out there."

"What kind of trouble?" Sango asked. _Another uprising? Not likely since Kouga has the jewel shards. _

The wolf demon looked at her with a frown. "Not that a demon slayer would care, but villages have been attacked by a huge demon. Few have escaped with their lives. I'm going to go kill it."

"A huge demon?" Kagome was suddenly worried. "It sounds dangerous Kouga. Maybe you shouldn't go alone."

"If you think I'm going to help this mangy flea bag, you got another thing coming Kagome!" Inu Yasha snapped angrily.

Kagome scowled at Inu Yasha. "I'm just trying to say that if the demon is taking out villages of wolf demons, it must be powerful."

Kouga flashed her his cocky smile. "Don't worry Kagome; I can take care of myself."

Miroku stepped forward. "Perhaps Kagome is right. Naraku still wants the jewel shards in Kouga's legs; he may be using this demon to lure Kouga into a trap to take his shards."

There was silence for a brief moment and Sango eyed Miroku carefully. _He senses things sometimes, and he may be right. I've got a bad feeling about this myself. _ She was about to add her two cents when Kouga spoke up.

"I don't have time to wait for any of you slow pokes," he scoffed. "Besides, I'm going to a wolf demon village. Outsiders aren't welcome." He glared at Inu Yasha to emphasize his point.

"I wasn't goin no where with you anyway," Inu Yasha growled back at him.

"Then take one of us," Sango suggested. That feeling of unease had grown stronger. _Miroku feels it too. _

The wolf demon raised a hand dismissively at her. "No can do. Besides, you're too slow."

"I'm not," Le said from Kagome's side. She had been watching Sango and Miroku carefully. She could tell they were worried about Kouga, about the shards in his legs. "I can keep up with you Kouga."

"That's right, she can," Sango added eagerly.

Kagome had caught on quick. She was worried herself. _But if Kouga doesn't go alone, then he's got a chance. _"Sounds like a good idea," she confirmed.

"Wait a minute!" Kouga felt suddenly pressured. "I can't just bring some tag along to the village with me. Didn't you hear me say no outsiders allowed?" He whistled through his teeth in fain disgust. It had been months since the dunpeal had saved his life and he had tried to forget her. _But here she is again. And this time, no boyfriend. _

"Can't you say she joined your pack Kouga?" Miroku pressed.

The wolf demon frowned at the monk. "We don't just let people join our pack."

It hit Inu Yasha all at once. A gleam of delight appeared in his eye. He smiled deviously at the wolf demon. "Then tell em she's your woman. I know damned well you can't just join a wolf demon pack, but you can mate into one." Kouga was taken aback. Inu Yasha chuckled. "Congratulations you two, yer married."

"No way!" Kouga snarled at the hanyou. _Why you..._

"How very rude Kouga," Miroku tried to sound disapproving. "Are you saying that our lovely companion here is not good enough to be your mate?"

Kouga faced the monk. "No, that's not what I'm saying!"

Le stepped forward. "Okay then it's settled. I'm going." _If there's trouble in Kouga's road like they seem to think there is gonna be, I'm gonna be right in the middle of the shit. _She looked up at Kouga, determination in her eyes.

He looked down at her a minute, then around to the others. _They're serious! They want me to take her! _Kouga shook his head. "Alright whine asses I'll take her with me just to get ya off my back." He fixed his eyes on Le. "Keep up and if there's trouble stay outta my way." He glared at the hanyou once more and then set off. Le was behind him quickly and the two disappeared leaving only a trail of dust.

Inu Yasha grinned, satisfied. Kouga had asked about the spirit detective a few times. He suspected the wolf demon felt more then gratitude towards her. He was more then happy to turn Kouga's attention away from Kagome, and Le seemed to do just that. "Well that takes care of that," he said smugly.

"Aren't you even worried at all Inu Yasha?" Kagome rebuked. "What if that demon they're going to fight is one of Naraku's incarnations?"

"Naraku wants the shards in Kouga's legs. He will slaughter every wolf demon for them if he has to. We must take into consideration that this could be a trap." Miroku was sober.

Sango sighed. "So what do we do now?"

"What do you mean what do we do now?" Inu Yasha huffed. "I aint helping that mangy wolf, besides he's got Le with him. I'm sure she can handle whatever comes up." He couldn't quite put his finger on it yet, but somehow Le was changed. _Stronger this time. Defiantly more powerful then Kouga. _

Miroku nodded. "I suppose your right. But I guess we could head this way, just in case." He headed off in the direction Kouga had led Le. Sango and Kagome filed in behind with Shippo and Kirara at their heels. A moment later, Inu Yasha followed.

[2]

Kouga raced them at break neck speed all the way back to his lair. He stopped them just outside of the cave. He turned to Le. "I'm waiting on a messenger. He'll be here tonight. We head out in the morning got it?" She nodded and he turned away. Inside Ginta and Hakkaku had been waiting for Kouga.

"No news from the western tribes yet Master Kouga," Ginta reported right away.

"Some of the men would like to see you topside when you get the chance master Kouga," Hakkaku added eagerly.

Ginta noticed Le a second later. His face brightened with a smile. "Miss Le it's good to see you again."

Hakkaku smiled at her as well. "It's nice to see you Miss Le."

"Hey guys," she greeted smiling herself. She liked them, demons or not, they were stand up guys.

Kouga frowned at their schmoozing. "Alright you slobs, that's enough ogling." Ginta and Hakkaku returned their attention to Kouga immediately. Le smiled and shook her head. "Listen up; I'm taking Le with me to the northern tribe."

Ginta's mouth fell open. "But master Kouga, she's an outsider sir."

Kouga rolled his eyes. "No shit. We're gonna let em think she's my mate."

Hakkaku blushed and looked from Kouga to Le. "Mate sir?" he giggled and Kouga swatted him in the head.

"Ginta, get this girl some clothes." Kouga turned to Le and looked her up and down. "I aint takin you nowhere in those weird clothes." With that he turned and left the three standing there looking after him.

Ginta blinked. "Umm, okay."

Hakkaku slapped Ginta on the back. "You heard master Kouga! Get her some clothes!"

Ginta eyed Le for a minute, looking her up and down. He dropped her a wink. "No problem sis, I'll find something for ya."

"Sis?" she asked amused.

"Sure, yer master Kouga's woman now," Ginta teased. They all laughed.

[3]

By the time Kouga came back into the cave, night had fallen. Le and Hakkaku had served up dinner and the late hours were creeping in. Ginta greeted Kouga on his way in. "Can I get you something to eat Master Kouga?"

Kouga was tired. There was still no sign of the messenger and Kouga was pretty sure that he was a no show because he was dead. _What the hell is going on out there? _"Whatever," he waved Ginta away, and then called him back. "Where is Le?"

"Over there sir," he gestured to where she sat with Hakkaku on a pile of straw.

At first Kouga didn't register what he was seeing. It was Le alright, but it was the same Le he was with on the astral plane. He blinked a moment and then focused his eyes on her. She had seen him come in and was getting up to come talk to him. She was dressed like a female of his tribe and _looked_ like a wolf demon. He swallowed hard and regained his composure as she came over to him. He tried not to stare. "Not bad," he nodded to her.

"So will I pass as a member of the tribe?" she asked.

Ginta was watching them with interest. "She really looks like one of us don't you think master Kouga?"

"Uh, sure," Kouga pulled his eyes away from her.

Le knew how she must look to him dressed as part of his tribe. She wanted her mind elsewhere. "Any news?" she changed the subject.

Kouga slouched a little. He was more then just a little tired. He had been ready to pass out hours ago. "I got nothing."

"It's late master Kouga," Ginta said in a tone Le found very gently. "Why not get some rest. If anyone shows up, I'll come and get you."

Kouga rubbed at the back of his neck for a minute. He looked at Le side long. "You ready pass out too?"

She put a hand on her hip. "I kept up with you didn't I? Honestly Kouga, you exhaust me."

He couldn't resist the urge to tease her a little. He grinned devilishly at her. "Then let's get in bed woman."

Ginta hid a smile behind his hand and Le's eyebrow went up. "You want me to sleep in bed...with you?"

He took a step closer to her so that he was looking down into her eyes. "Well, I could tell you some other ways to get my scent all over you besides sleeping next to you," he flashed her a fangy smile, "but Ginta is listening."

Ginta giggled outright and Le flushed. "Asshole," she scoffed.

Kouga laughed and a wave of weariness swept through him. As fun as it was to play with Le, he needed sleep. "I'm hittin the sack. You coming?"

She eyed him suspiciously for a moment then sighed. "Yeah I guess so. Night Ginta."

"Goodnight Le! Goodnight master Kouga!" he bade as she followed Kouga away.

The wolf demon led them down a long passage in the rock to his private room. It was at the end of the lair. A good size room with a fireplace and even a window that showed him the stars. Kouga's bed was a huge pile of straw piled high with skins in the room's center. Ginta had already been in here and had a fire going, but it was dieing. Kouga went to it and threw some smaller pieces of wood in to get it going again. "Make yourself comfy," he said not looking at her.

Le went over to the bed behind Kouga and sat down. She was tired, but a little nervous too. "Do you suppose the messenger...: her voice trailed off to silence.

Kouga got the fire going again then turned and faced her. "Dead is my guess. We probably are walking into a nasty fight. You sure you wanna do this?"

"I'm going with you," she was firm.

He came over and sat beside her on his bed. "What are you in such a hurry to get in trouble for?"

She looked away. "I never said I was looking for trouble."

_It's because of that kitsune boyfriend she broke up with I'll bet. _"Alright, have it your way then," he sighed. He moved behind her and lay down facing the ceiling. "You should get some sleep. Morning comes early around here." He closed his eyes. A few minutes later he felt Le lay down a few feet away from him. He drifted off to sleep breathing in her scent.

[4]

Kouga awoke just before dawn with Le's warm body pressed against him. Her head was on his shoulder and she had thrown an arm and leg over him. He had an arm around her, cradling her to him. He slowly opened his eyes and peeked down at her. _Still asleep. I wonder if she'll clobber me if she wakes up to this. _A smile played at his lips as he watched her sleep. He breathed in deeply her scent and closed his eyes again. _Her scent is so much like it was in the maki. She even looks the same. _He sighed and pushed the thoughts away. Kouga slid away from her and got out of bed. Groggily he set about making a new fire.

"Watieizit," Le mumbled still half asleep on the bed. She had felt Kouga move, and then heard him moving around in the room. She was forcing herself awake in the gloom staring at him with half lidded eyes.

"What the hell did you just say?" he mused, pausing to look at her.

Le sat up and rubbed her eyes, coming more awake. "What time is it? Okay, I'm up."

Kouga sparked the kindling. "It's still pretty early. You can sleep a little longer if you want to."

"Fuckin feudal Japan and its no coffee bullshit," she grumbled swinging her legs over the side of the bed. "I'm up already."

Kouga recoiled from her grouchiness. "Whatever you say."

"No news from the west huh?"

He shook his head. "Since you're up early, we'll leave early." He stared into the new fire. _I got a bad feeling about this. Could it be Naraku or one of his servants?_

Le stood up and straightened her skirt. "I'm ready any time." She turned and went out of Kouga's room leaving him alone with his thoughts.

By mid morning Kouga and Le were closing the distance to the lands of the western tribes. At this pace they would be there long before dark. As they moved, Kouga thought about things she might need to know about how to behave as a wolf demon _and my mate. _He stopped them near a small strip of brook that meandered through the forest. Le hunkered and washed her hands off in the stream. Kouga watched her for a minute and then, "Listen, when we get to the village I want you to stick by me, got it?"

She rose to stand in front of him. "Alright."

"And try not to talk to too many people if you can avoid it. We don't need anyone askin too many questions about us if we can avoid it." She nodded affirmatively and waited for him to go on. He studied her in the dappled light of the woods. Kouga struggled a little to get his next words out. "I have to put my mark on you."

Le's heart skipped a beat. "You have to wha?"

He had put it off as long as possible, but it still needed to be done. Males of his tribe marked their women on the back of the neck. He felt a little warmer then he had just a moment ago. "I have to put my mark on you," he repeated patiently.

She eyed him warily. "What kinda mark? Is it gonna hurt?"

He smiled a little. "It don't hurt. Its, oh what did you call it?" he searched his memory. "A hookey?"

Le's eyes widened in understanding. "You mean a hickey?"

Kouga snapped his fingers and pointed at her. "Yep, that's it."

Le narrowed her eyes at him. _Is he serious or is he just teasing me again? _"Are you shitting me?"

He laughed at her countenance feeling the butterflies in his stomach. "That's the way it is. You still comin along?" Part of him wanted her to retreat, but another part of him wanted her to stay, to let him at her.

"I..." Le stammered. She remembered back to the mated couple she had met months ago, and was able to recall the mark on the back of the woman's neck. Kouga wasn't just joking around, he meant it. _He's gonna be sucking on my neck? _Her cheeks started to turn pink. "I already told you, I'm going with you."

_Determine little thing aint she. _"As you wish." He strolled over to her and got behind her. He slid her ponytail off to one side and she held it over her shoulder. He reached up and touched the soft warm skin below her hairline. "You sure?" he asked again.

She could almost feel him breathing on her. She dug her nails into her palm to suppress the shudder that would come when she did feel his hot breath on her neck. "Do what ya gotta do," she said trying to sound unbothered.

Kouga smirked for a minute, and then lowered his lips to her neck. He couldn't resist taking in a deep breath of her scent this close to her. He closed his mouth on her and tasted the salt of her skin. His hand slid to her shoulder and held her there. He was lost in her scent and in her taste for a moment. He resisted the urge to pull her against him. _Don't get too caught up in it pal. _ He could feel her relaxing in his grip.

Le's eyes drooped closed. She tried to think of something else, anything else to take her mind off of what Kouga was doing. _But it feels so good! _She tried to focus on what lay ahead, maybe even a battle, but it was damn hard with him sucking on that sensitive spot. She dug her nails deeper into her palm. She had the urge to turn and kiss him, and blushed at the thought.

A moment later Kouga pulled away and inspected his work. Reluctantly he stepped back away from her. "That should do it," he said trying to sound smug and doing a lousy job of it. Kouga had fought his own urges just now. He had wanted to take her to the ground and maybe taste her skin in other places. His own cheeks burned at the thought.

Le took a few quick steps away from Kouga to put some distance between them before facing him. Their eyes locked, flint scraping off steel. "We... should go," she said a little breathlessly.

He broke away from his lustful thoughts. "Just remember to stick by me. They'll know you're not human by yer scent, but I'm sure you'll get some stares". _I sure as hell don't mind staring at her. _

She rubbed her hands down the front of her skirt. "Got it."

Kouga lingered to take her in a moment longer, and then they were off again. The wolf demon was glad to be on the move again and have his mind off the spirit detective's soft skin. By early afternoon, he was leading her to the hut of the tribal elder in the wolf demon village. The locals eyed them cautiously as they made their way. The elder greeted them and bade them to sit with him. They did. "Elder," Kouga greeted as Le sat beside him.

"Who is this woman you have with you master Kouga? Could it be that you have finally chosen a mate?" the old man smiled at the couple.

"This is my woman, Le," Kouga said convincingly.

The elder nodded his approval. "You are quite lovely Le, mate of master Kouga. May you have many sons together."

The elder's wife settled beside her husband. "It will be a good thing to bring new blood into your pack master Kouga. Blessings upon ye," the old woman crooned.

Kouga bowed his head to her and so Le did the same. She was beginning to realize how seriously the wolf demons took marriage and children, just as seriously as the people of this era. "In time old mother, Kouga responded kindly, "but first I slay the demon Naraku."

"And the demon who has been terrorizing our lands as of late master Kouga?" the elder questioned.

"That's why I've come. Tell me what you can elder, I beg."

The elder focused his weary eyes on young master Kouga. "'Tis a great beast my lord Kouga. The demon has annihilated two of our villages already. Men, women, children, even the wolves devoured by the beast! The villagers that survived fled to this place for help. There is no one here that can defeat such a powerful monster, so we sent for you master."

Kouga's hand clenched into a fist. First the birds of paradise, then Kaugura, now this new demon. The wolf tribes had taken a lot of losses lately and Kouga felt that pain to his marrow. "Where is this demon now?"

"We believe the beast dwells in the deep wood north of here. I have my finest warriors standing ready to take you out come the morn."

Kouga nodded. "If it's all the same to you elder, I'd like to leave today." Kouga's intuition was tingling. _North sounds right._

The elder was a bit surprised. "If you wish master Kouga." The old man struggled to his feet. Kouga followed suit so Le stood as well. "I shall call for Doka; he will guide you to Rimsa. There you may rest for the night if you have not yet encountered yon demon. Will this be alright master Kouga?" his look of surprise gave way to one of satisfaction. Clearly he had done the right thing by calling Kouga to exterminate the menace to their people.

"That will do us well elder," the young leader replied. He looked at Le a minute. She was looking at him with a fascination he found confusing. _What's with her?_

The old man went out for a few minutes and his mate spoke up from her place on the floor. "Please be seated master Kouga. I should like to know you and yer woman a little more if it do ya sir. Won't you sit and visit with an old woman?"

Kouga smiled at the chubby woman. "It's always a pleasure to visit with a beautiful lady," he flattered as he sat back down.

Le sat beside him smiling. She had never seen Kouga like this. _He's so polite, so flattering. He really does care very much for his people. _

"'Tis yer woman here that is a beautiful lady, master Kouga. Tiz good luck you found such looker," she cackled.

Kouga chuckled. "Good luck indeed."

The old woman fixed her sharp eyes on Le. "And when will you be giving our young master an heir Sister?"

Le's breath caught in her throat for a second. She hadn't expected the old crone to address her so boldly with such a question. She flicked her eyes to Kouga. He looked calm, but Le knew better. He was sweatin it to see if she could get this old woman to believe them. _Hump. He must be an amateur liar. _She looked back to the old woman. "When my lord Kouga tells me to," she said trying to make it sound obvious. She emphasized her point by resting her hand on Kouga's arm and smiling up at him.

Kouga grinned and the old woman cackled satisfied. "There now, old mother, enough about us," Kouga seemed pleased. "Tell us what you have heard of this demon."

The crone's expression darkened. "The beast has destroyed two villages in the region already. It comes in the night and devours all in its path. Few escaped and none survived in its wake. It must be stopped master Kouga or it will kill more of us. There are fewer then a dozen packs in this part of the world these days. Seems the twilight hour for our kind is at hand."

"You mustn't think that way," Le spoke up. Kouga gazed into her determine face as she spoke to the old woman. "If the wolf demon tribes stick together we can survive." She dropped her eyes away from the crone. Knowing what she did about what was to become of these demons, she felt a great guilt. _If they stay together, they WILL survive. I just know it. _

"Aye lady," Kouga addressed the crone. "We will take care of this demon."

She looked at him hopefully. "I'm sure you will master."

The elder returned with the wolf demon Doka behind him. Again Kouga got to his feet so Le did the same. Doka was taller then the elder and he eyed the newcomers somberly. "Master Kouga, this is Doka, my most trusted soldier."

Doka bowed slightly. "It is an honor to meet you master Kouga." His eyes shifted to the woman beside the master. "And you sister," he bowed again.

"Doka will take you as soon as you're ready to depart," the elder informed.

"We're ready now," Kouga's response was immediate. He didn't want to be in this village any longer then necessary. The elder's wife had already proved to be quite sharp. He wanted Le out of here before she could be questioned further.

"We sir?" Doka raised a brow. "You mean to take your woman into battle?"

The feminist in Le would not take that quietly. "I choose to go into battle," her voice was icy. "I can handle myself."

Kouga felt the first drops of sweat form on his brow. _Shit girl, just shut up. _He addressed Doka, "She's a strong warrior. She fights at my side. Got it?"

Doka shook his head. He figured the woman must be strong if she were with master Kouga. "As you wish sir." He bowed to the elder and his wife, then turned and left the hut. Kouga took Le by the hand and followed Doku out.

"The young master is eager for battle," the elder prattled.

"Aye and his woman goes with him."

The old man smiled at his wife. "As you went with me."

She smiled at her husband. "And I still go with ye."

The elder faced the door. "May they bring down the demon and keep their lives. The tribe needs master Kouga now."

[5]

They followed Doka and his band of five warriors north as the sun nodded toward the horizon. The wolf demons were a united tribe, but the packs still gave each other wide berth. Rimsa was still miles away when Kouga caught the first smell of smoke on the breeze. Doka halted a few steps ahead of Kouga and sniffed the air. He cocked his head to the side and listened. "Master Kouga, do you smell something?"

Kouga was picking up another scent on the wind. He grit his teeth and narrowed his eyes at the path ahead. "Naraku," he growled low in his throat.

Le's heart skipped a beat. "Are you sure?" she turned to Kouga, wide eyed.

"That foul stench is unmistakable."

The warrior to Kouga's left piped up, "Rimsa must be under attack!"

Kouga took off toward the scent of Naraku, kicking up a trail of dust and leaves behind him. Le hurried after him trying to catch up. "Wait up Kouga!" she called to him.

Kouga didn't slow or stop. "That demon is mine! Stay outta my way!" The smell of smoke and dust thickened in the air as he sped toward the village. _That smells like Kagura, but different somehow. Is there another one on Naraku's incarnations up there?_ As he neared the village he could see plumes of black smoke rising into the air. He could hear the screams of those being slaughtered. As he rushed toward the chaos he made out the shape of the thing that was giving off Naraku's familiar scent.

A demon of sizeable stature swept its hand at the fleeing villagers and impaled a man on his claws. He lifted the writhing, screaming wolf demon to his mouth and ate him in two bites. He smashed another house as he stepped forward to snare more of the fleeing wolf demons. As soon as Kouga entered the village square the demon snapped his attention to him. "Jewel shards!" the beast slobbered.

He snarled at the demon as the villagers ran past him on either side. A few seconds later Le was behind him. She was breathing hard from running at such speed to keep up with him. "Stay back, Le," he said without taking his eyes from the demon. He raised his voice to a shout. "You want my jewel shards? Come and take em you ugly bastard!" he dashed to the left and the demon followed his movements.

"Give me the shards of the shikon jewel!" the demon roared as he lunged at Kouga.

Le had struggled to catch up with Kouga, even with her preternatural speed. A stitch of fiery pain had worked its way into her side but for the moment she ignored it. When Kouga went left, she went right. She ran behind the demon watching Kouga dodge the sharp bloody claws at the end of the monsters hands. She powered up her spirit energy in her hand. When she was fairly sure she had a clear shot she let it fly. "Spirit Chakram!" she bellowed hurling the disk of energy at the demon.

The demon spun around quickly and faced the oncoming discus of spirit energy. He batted it away with one hand and it went smashing into the house closest to where Le stood. She threw an arm over her face to shield herself from the debris. "Fool," the beast mocked her. "You cannot defeat me that easily. I, Yora, will kill you all and have the shards of the sacred jewel!" He charged toward the female that had just tried to kill him.

Le was frozen for a minute staring at the demon Yora in disbelief. _He just knocked my spirit chakram away like he was swatting a fly! _His claws reached for her and jumped back.

Yora roared with fury. Kouga took the opportunity to attack the beast. He rushed forward and blasted Yora in the face with his fist. The demon staggered but did not fall. "Bastard," Kouga hissed through his teeth. _He's strong. A lot stronger then I thought, but I'll get him. _

"Spirit Chakram!" Le's voice rang out from behind Yora. This time the demon was not quick enough to deflect the blast of spirit energy she hurled at him. The reddish light grew its points and spread out as it flew through the air. The double disks hit Yora in the back and arm, spaying his blood all over Le and Kouga.

The demon fought back and a second later the energy was dispersed. Yora howled with rage. He was sliced up, but still very much alive. Again he reached for the troublesome female. This time he was fast enough to keep her from fleeing. Yora backhanded her sending her flying into the air. "I'll kill you first bitch!" he thundered.

"Le!" Kouga screamed horrified. He watched as her body came crashing to the ground with a thud. She lay there unmoving for a moment and then was struggling to her hands and knees. There was blood on her face and Kouga could smell not all of it belonged to Yora, Le was bleeding too. The demon charged at her and Kouga moved quickly to intercept. "Your fight is with me!" he hollered as he leapt for Yora. He connected a series of explosive kicks to the demons body, but could not bring him down. Kouga swayed as Yora reached for him.

Doka and his group arrived on the scene. Blindly they charged into battle. Yora laughed at their attempts to bring him down. He swung his thick leathery tail and knocked them away like toys. He turned his attention back toward Le. "Now I'll finish you."

Le knelt before Yora with her fists in the blood splattered dirt. Her vision was doubled and she squeezed her eyes shut to try to clear her pounding head. Her bangs felt sticky against her forehead and she was dimly aware that is was because of the blood flowing from the gash above her brow. The ground around her shook as Yora charged, but it seemed to come from far away. _Fuckshit. I gotta get up I gotta move damnit! _Le opened her eyes and looked up at the raging beast. Yora was almost on her and Le realized she had no time to get out of his way. She brought her hands out in front of her and quickly generated a spirit barrier around herself. Yora's palm crashed into the barrier and he yowled maddeningly. He tightened his grip on the barrier and began to squeeze it in toward Le. She struggled violently against his force unaware she was screaming.

_She's going to be killed! _Kouga watched in mute terror as the shield around Le threw off sparks between the demons fingers. _He's crushing her!_ Kouga flew at the creature. "Get away from her you bastard!"

Le's barrier flickered and dispersed. Yora snatched her up, squeezing her as he raised his hand to his face. She cried out as two of her ribs snapped in his powerful grasp. Yora was delighted. "You smell good enough to eat," he taunted.

Kouga's right foot came down hard on the back of Yora's head. He had focused the power of the jewel shard in his leg into his attack. The blow was enough to send Yora staggering forward. He dropped Le between his feet and almost stepped on her. Kouga brought his other leg around quick as a bullet and finished knocking Yora off balance. The mighty demon fell to the ground roaring with fury. The wolf demon landed beside Le and hastily scooped her up. "Le, you okay?" he sounded frantic. He darted to the right to get her a safe distance away from Yora who was already getting to his feet.

"He's really strong Kouga," Le said grimacing in pain. "You can't take him." She coughed and wasn't in the least surprised to taste blood in her mouth.

Kouga set her down on her feet. "We'll just see about that," he spat.

Le grabbed him by the arm and made him look at her. "I mean it Kouga!" her voice was shrill. "He'll kill you! Fuck man, he's probably gonna kill us both!" She felt the panic rising as Yora stood and faced them.

"Then what the hell do you want me to do? If you think I'm runnin away, you got another thing coming." He shifted his eyes to the demon. "I _can_ kill that thing. Just watch me!"

Before Le could protest further, Kouga was off. She watched as he engaged Yora in battle. _Yora's too strong. We'll be slaughtered like lambs... unless..._ She could see the final battle with Barlow in her mind's eye. _If I put what's left of my spirit energy into that spell... it just might kill the fucker. _ With a new plan in mind, Le forced herself to get moving. She ignored her screaming ribs and her throbbing head and ran for high ground. The village sloped up and out into the forest and this is where she made her stand. "Kouga!" she yelled to him. "Run to me Kouga! Run to me!" Kouga heard, and though skeptical he made a brake for her. Le instantly went into the incantation, speaking the words rapidly and letting the power of the spell grow in between her hands. She imagined her spirit energy fusing with the burst of energy forming from the incantation she murmured. A second later she could see it, feel it happening. She looked up and saw Kouga was nearly to her. The demon was hot on his heels.

As Kouga ran toward her he could see the light growing between her hands in front of her. She was moving her lips like she was talking. Kouga's hair stood on end. _What's she doing? Is that some new spirit weapon or something? _He saw her jerk her head to the right indicating he needed to get the hell out of the way. Judging by the power growing in her hands, he better move quickly. He reached her and stepped behind her just as she was ready to loose the force in her hands.

"Against the mighty gift bestowed upon my unworthy hand," Le chanted. _If this doesn't do it, we're fucked. _"DRAGON SLAVE!" Le released the power of the spell calling its name. A flaming blast of immense energy rushed from between her palms. It mixed with the color of her spirit energy and became a hell fire red. The blast hit Yora and he was engulfed in the fire of the spell. She braced herself and pushed harder. The wind issuing from the spell was unbelievably strong. Kouga was knocked back and went skidding away from her with a cry of surprise. She could hear Yora's tortured screams. _Die already bitch! _She forced the rest of her spirit energy into the blast, and then it faded.

For a moment, Yora was enveloped in the furnace of Le's Dragon Slave. His screaming ceased and when the spell dispersed he was dead. His charred legs and part of his torso were all that remained of him. His smoldering body fell over shaking the ground.

Kouga got to his feet a few yards away from Le. He looked from the corpse to the spirit detective in disbelief. _She... she_ _got him. _"Le?" his voice wavered. "You alright?"

Le didn't hear Kouga. She saw the demons charred body and her eyes drooped closed. _Good thing he's dead cuz I aint got nothing left. _She fell to her knees, exhausted. She had used all of the spirit energy she had and she knew she was going to pass out. Her head throbbed, her broken ribs throbbed. Darkness surrounded her and she collapsed in the grass.

"Le!" Kouga called out to her as he ran to her side. At first he assumed the worst. _She must be dead! After a shot like that, how can she be alive? _He reached her and turned her over in his lap. She was still breathing in slow shallow breaths. "Le?" he repeated more softly. He looked at Yora's body again as if needing to confirm he was dead. His eyes went back to Le. "What the hell did you just do little girl?" He picked her up and carried her. Doka and his surviving men stared at them in awe. Kouga frowned at them. "Well don't just stand there! See if you can help the survivors!" The wolf demons came back to reality and got moving. Kouga carried Le's limp body back to the village of the elder of the western tribe.

[6]

Le slowly regained consciousness. She was first dimly aware that she was lying down and covered with a woolly blanket up to her shoulders. Her left side pulsed with a dull pain from her broken ribs. She realized they had been tightly bandaged to hold them in place. A bandage had also been wrapped around her forehead covering the gash above her right eye. Aside from the bandages, Le was naked beneath the warm blanket. As she came awake she could hear the crackle of sticks popping in a fire. She opened her eyes about half way and looked around. She was in bed in a small hut. Kouga sat beside the fire moodily poking at it with a stick. Her hand instinctively went up to the edge of the blanket and held it tightly against her collar bone.

Kouga caught the movement from the corner of his eye. He turned his head to look at her. "Hey," he greeted dropping his fiddling stick into the fire. "You're up."

"Yeah," she mumbled still sounding sleep fuzzy. She got her free arm beneath her and tried to use it to sit up. Her strength had not yet returned and she came close to collapsing back down on the bed.

Kouga was to her in a few short strides. He put an arm around her and steadied her from behind. "Take it easy. You don't have your strength back yet."

Le had a death grip on the blanket, holding it to herself to cover her nakedness. "I'm okay, really."

Kouga reached behind her and stacked another pillow on the one she had been resting her head on. Gently he eased her back so that she was lying down again, only now she was propped up to a half sitting position. "There, how's that?" He pulled away from her and took a seat on the bed beside her knees.

Le relaxed a little. "That's better, thanks." She looked up into Kouga's face. He was eying her with a mix of concern and curiosity. "My wounds are bandaged. Did you..." her voice trailed off and she could feel the heat in her cheeks. _Did he see me naked?_

Kouga smiled a little. "It wasn't me," he reassured. "When I brought you back to the village, the elder's wife looked after you. She wrapped ya up and even had your clothes cleaned for you. See?" He pointed to her wolf demon clothes, neatly folded by the hearth.

She sighed feeling relief drown out her embarrassment. "I see." She hiked the blanket up a little more so that it was touching her chin. "What about the village? Did everyone get out of there okay?"

Kouga looked at his hands in his lap. "The ones that weren't dead already when we got there. Maybe half of the villagers survived. Rimsa is destroyed though. Between Yora's rampage and... that thing you did..." He twisted at the waist to face her resting one hand on the other side of her knees. "What was that Le? What is the Dragon Slave?" his eyes sparkled in the fire's light. Shadows played on his face.

Le felt her stomach tighten. "It's a spell... I learned." She looked away from Kouga.

Kouga furrowed his brow. "Just a spell? Looked like you put your spirit energy into it."

Le took a deep breath. "I did. I didn't think my Dragon Slave would be powerful enough to kill the demon, so I amplified it with my spirit energy. It was only the second time I've ever cast it."

Kouga was genuinely surprised. _Only the second time? Looks like she's mastered it to me. It was so powerful! _"Your master, Genkai was it? She taught it to you?"

"No, not Genkai." She lifted her eyes back to the wolf demons face. He stared at her waiting for her to go on. "After Kurama and I went back to our own era, we had to get back to work."

"Bustin demons and bad guys huh?" he grunted.

She bit her lip and nodded. A moment later she went on. "We were after this type A vampire, Barlow." At the mention of his name she couldn't help but shudder. Barlow had introduced her to hell. She forced the thoughts of him away and continued. "We found his lair. There I met a sorceress. She... she gave me her power."

Kouga cocked his head to the side. "What do you mean?" he was curious, but hesitant. There was something in her body language that suggested this was a delicate subject for her. He didn't want to press, but he couldn't deny his curiosity.

For a long moment she just stared at him. Something inside of her decided it was alright to tell Kouga, that it was safe to trust him. And a big part of her just wanted to get it off of her chest. "Barlow was keeping the sorceress prisoner in his lair. She had been there... God, so long." Her eyes glazed over and inside her minds eye she relived her encounter with the sorceress. "Barlow had been keeping her alive. He wanted her to cast a very powerful spell, but she wouldn't. As punishment, he wouldn't let her die. Not until she cast the Giga Slave, which she refused to do. And then I found her." Le swallowed hard. "I... I gave her enough of my energy to rejuvenate her. So that she could be strong again...and then I killed her."

Kouga's eyes grew wide. "You killed her?" he was stunned. "I thought spirit detectives were supposed save people not kill them."

Le nodded. "Yes, we are. But the only way to save her was to... end her. She was suffering Kouga. I wouldn't just kill someone for no reason ya know."

He was a mix of confusion and surprise. _She killed the sorceress? _"How did you get her power?" he asked in a small voice.

Le cast her eyes down again. "When I gave her my strength to rejuvenate her, it almost killed me. The vampire side of me came forward and took her. It was what she wanted. She knew her spells could kill Barlow, but she didn't have the strength to cast them anymore. So she gave her knowledge and what was left of her power to me so that I could slay him for her." She sighed heavily, but felt a little better. She chanced a look up at Kouga. "Do you think that makes me a horrible person Kouga?"

Kouga was reeling. "You killed the vampire guy though right? That was the first time you cast the Dragon Slave, wasn't it? You used it to kill that Barlow guy, right?" She nodded affirmatively. "And that's what the sorceress wanted. If you did as she asked of you, you can't be all that bad." He smiled a little at her. Seeing her so serious was unnerving. _The sorceress made Le take her life and her power to kill the bastard that had imprisoned her. It's not her fault. _

"I still feel her sometimes, in here," she tapped her temple with two fingers. "She's dead and gone, but part of her remains. Inside me. I think it was her idea to cast the Dragon Slave, but it was mine to amplify it with my spirit energy."

"Well, whoever's idea it was, it worked. You saved a lot of lives. The wolf demon tribe owes you a debt of gratitude." He flashed her a cocky smile. "My comrades are quite impressed with your power. I think they might even be a little afraid of you."

"I'm just glad I could help." A silence fell between them. Le watched Kouga watching her. He kept his eyes locked on hers. She stared into the blameless blue of his eyes until she thought she might get lost in there. Le blinked and shifted her eyes to the fire. "It's late huh?" she asked, wanting to change the subject.

"Past midnight," he said pulling his eyes away from her. "You should try to get some more sleep."

That sounded good to Le. She still felt weak as a kitten and sleep was the only solution. "What about you?" she asked raising her eyes to his face. "Don't you need some rest too Kouga?"

He turned to her, a slight blush on his cheeks. "I didn't want to get in bed with you while you were unconscious and... naked. I thought ya might wake up and clobber me for being a pervert."

She tightened her grip on the blanket and flushed. "Oh," she said in a hushed voice.

The wolf demon chuckled. "Yeah, oh," he teased. He looked down into her blushing face and smiled. _Not only is she strong, she's beautiful too. Not to mention, she's naked under that blanket. _The room seemed suddenly warmer to him.

She was blushing wildly now and knowing she was red in the face just made it worse. She broke free of Kouga's gaze and her cheeks cooled some. "It's late, you should get some rest too." She tucked the blanket tightly around herself. "There's room for you, just get yer own blanket." She schootched herself closer to the edge of the bed leaving an empty space beside her.

Kouga raised a brow. _She's gonna let me in bed with her while she's naked? _His heart picked up the pace. "You sure?" he tried to sound calm and casual, as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Inside though, he was anything but calm. He had smelled her alluring blood this night. The room was filled with her scent and this close to her it was strong. The only thing separating him from her naked flesh was a blanket, and she was far too weak yet to resist him should he try to take her cover away.

She rolled over on her side facing the fire and feigning drowsiness. "I'm sure you can behave yourself Kouga," she mused closing her eyes. "If ya don't I _will _clobber you." A smile played at her lips. She knew full well she didn't have the strength to back up her threat, but she wasn't afraid of Kouga. She had noticed how red his face got when he mentioned her nakedness. _He won't try anything funny. _

Kouga sat where he was for a minute regarding her great interest. He crawled over top of her to the place she had made for him on the bed. There was barely a foot between them. He lay back and he tucked his hands under his head. He tried to relax, but her scent was intense so close to her. "Get some sleep Le. We'll talk in the morning."

"Night Kouga," she said feeling sleep steal over her.

Kouga closed his eyes. "Good night." He was tired, had been up almost the clock around. They had covered a lot of ground, and then fought a demon. _Sleep is all I need. _He started to doze when he suddenly remembered how he had woken up next to Le what seemed like days ago. She had curled up beside him in the night. He woke up with her in his arms. _What if she does that with no clothes on?_ His eyes flew open and he cut them to Le. She was practically cocooned in the blanket around her. _Naw, I bet she won't even move until morning. _ He rolled over and faced away from the spirit detective and dropped off to sleep.

[7]

Kouga's prediction was mostly true. Le moved very little in her sleep that night; however, Kouga did. He floated out of sleep with his face buried in Le's hair. His arm was around her holding her loosely against him as he breathed in her scent. He came more awake and realized suddenly he was cupping her bare breast in his hand. He could feel his erection pressing against the curve of her ass. Kouga froze for a minute afraid to move. _Holy shit! If she wakes up to this I'm a dead man! _He listened to the sound of her breathing to confirm that she was still deeply asleep. Reluctantly he slid his hand away and moved to the edge of the bed. He put his feet on the floor and looked at her over his shoulder. He was relived to see she hadn't moved. He watched her shoulders rise and fall as she snored ever so slightly. He got up and went out of the hut into the cool morning air. He took long breaths and tried to push Le from his mind. Some of the locals were up and roaming about. Still looking after the injured refugees from Rimsa. After a few minutes, Kouga went and offered a helping hand.

Le woke up about an hour later. The sun was up and the hut was bright. She propped herself up on her elbow, blinking her tired eyes. "Kouga?" she called to him. He didn't answer so she sat up and had a look around. _Not here. Must be in the village. _She got out of bed, wrapping the blanket around her, and went over to her clothes. She dressed quickly, her eyes on the door. She didn't want to be surprised by Kouga in the middle of getting dressed. She felt a little stiff now that she had the weight of her clothes around her. Le stretched a little, and then proceeded outside. There were many wolf demons wandering from hut to hut or standing in small groups talking. She recognized Doka standing within a group of males of his pack. What she also noticed was the way some of his companions were looking at her. They watched her like she was a dangerous, unpredictable animal. She stood where she was and Doka came to her.

"Good morning sister," he greeted. Doka bowed a little nervously.

Le scowled at him. "What's with them? They scared of me or something?" She didn't like being watched like this.

Doka's eyes darted back toward his men for a brief second. He leaned a little closer to Le and spoke in a hushed voice. "'Tiz your dragon fire they fear sister. Now I understand why the master has made you his mate. You truly are powerful."

Le had no time to think of what anyone might say about the Dragon Slave while they were in a fight for their lives against Yora. She had cast the spell because she saw no other choice. _And now I've gone and freaked out the wolf demons. _She brought her hand up and touched the bandage on her head. "Dragon Slave. It's called a Dragon Slave." She sighed feeling the weight of many pair of eyes on her. "Where is Kouga?"

"With the elder, sister. Shall I escort you?"

She turned away from him sharply. "Why? Do you think I need to be escorted," she growled.

Doka was taken aback. "No sister! My apologies." He bowed again but Le had already moved on.

As Le crossed to the elder's domicile, she couldn't help but notice the way the wolf demons were watching her. _It's too early for this shit. Fuckin feudal Japan and its no coffee bullshit. _Le stopped short when a female wolf demon stepped in her way. She was young, maybe eleven or twelve. She did not look at Le with fear or mistrust, but with adoration.

"You saved my father. I ... I wanted to thank you sister," the little wolf demon started to cry. "My father was in Rimsa when the demon attacked."

Le was aware that half the village was watching this little display. _It's too early for this shit. _"Hey kid," she said bending a little and resting a hand on the girls shoulder. The girl looked up at her teary eyed. "Yer pops is okay and that's all that matters, right?"

"Mmmph humph," the little one sniffled.

Le straightened. "Go on kid. It's okay now. Master Kouga will take care of everything." She said the last part a little louder and the gawking wolf demons decided to avert their eyes elsewhere. Le reached the elders door and shot a look over her shoulder. Only a few stragglers were unable to quit their gawking. She sighed heavily and went into the elders hut.

"Good morning sister," the elder's wife greeted. Le had practically walked into the woman. "'Tiz good to see you're well this morning."

"Ah, thanks," Le took a step back. She turned and saw Kouga sitting with the elder. There was something serious in Kouga's eyes.

Kouga stood and took her hand. "How you doin this morning? You alright?"

In here was no better then out there. In here the elder and his mate were watching them. "I'm fine," she said in a pleasant tone. "Just a little headache."

"Join us," the elder bade. Kouga and Le sat down.

"You were about to tell me something, elder," Kouga returned his attention to the old man.

"It is said that in the Sanpukuzawa valley to the north, the avatar of power resides. The blade that will unlock the unfathomable power of King Kojiki, first king of the wolf demons."

"Unlock his power how?" Kouga pressed. There was urgency in his voice. He hadn't been strong enough to kill Yora himself. If the Kojiki Dagger could make him stronger, he meant to posses it. Kouga frowned at the elder. "It's my birthright. I will be the one to have that power, elder."

The elder nodded and Le eyed Kouga warily. _I thought Kouga just took over the tribes. What's he talking about? And what the hell is this blade. _"It's a key," she thought aloud.

"Yes sister," the elder replied. "It is a key of sorts. It was made from the rib of the great king himself. It is said to be the only thing that can unlock the way to King Kojiki's tomb." He faced the young master again. "It is there that you will find what you seek master Kouga."

"Where's the tomb?" Kouga asked.

The elder shook his head. "It's in the old lands son. I ask you again; cry off on this search master Kouga. No one should have to return to such a place of death." The old man and woman lowered their heads in reverence as Le watched fascinated.

Kouga stood, looking down at the elder. "I'll do what I have to do to protect my people. Elder, sister," Kouga bowed to the old folks.

Le got to her feet and was bowing herself when Kouga took her hand and led her outside. "What was that all about Kouga?" she asked as he veered them thru the village.

He dropped her hand and got ahead of her. They were nearly into the woods before he answered her. "Come on. I gotta get you back. I got things to do." It same out sounding harsher then he had thought it would.

She frowned at him. "Gee, sorry to be such burden." She stopped, putting her hands on her hips and glaring at his back.

Kouga looked at her over his shoulder. "What?"

She walked over to the wolf demon and got in front of him. "What were you talking to the elder about?" Le had the idea she had missed something important. Kouga seemed in a big hurry to get her back to the others and head off elsewhere. The spirit detective in her was suspicious.

He raised a brow at her. "It's wolf demon business, nothing you need to be worried about."

She wasn't taking that for an answer. "Kouga," she growled warningly.

He grabbed her by the arm and dragged her into the woods so that they were away from any potential prying eyes, or ears. He sighed and let go of her. "We were talking about the Kojiki Dagger. It's probably just an old legend, but it's supposed to open the tomb of the first king of our people."

"And?" she sounded annoyed.

Kouga flashed her a sharky grin. "You don't miss much do ya?"

"I try not to."

"There is supposed to be a wellspring of power hidden in the tomb. I'll take that power and use it to kill Naraku."

"How much power," she was suddenly worried, but not entirely sure why.

His eyes gleamed. "A lot. Enough to make Naraku look like fly shit on the breeze."

Le was taken aback. "What? Are you serious?"

Kouga nodded smugly. "But first I have to find the damn dagger, and the tomb, and then we'll just see what's in there."

Le was nervous. "Maybe I should speak to Lord Koinma about this."

Kouga waved a hand at her. "Whatever. You can if you think you have to." He leaned closer to her and teased, "I wouldn't want you to be a bad girl on my account."

Le opened her mouth to respond, but Kouga was already walking away. After a minute, she followed him through the forest and back to his lair.

[8]

Ginta was on guard duty when they arrived back at the wolf demon's lair. He greeted them with a smile that quickly faltered when he saw the bandage over Le's eye. He hurried to meet them. "Master Kouga," he acknowledged. He faced Le. "Are you alright sister?"

She nodded. "Just a scratch really."

Ginta turned to Kouga. "You've slain the demon in the west already master Kouga?"

Kouga surveyed the familiar territory. "Yeah. Le burned him to a crisp. He's dead as dog shit."

Ginta's eyes widened with surprise and he looked at Le. "Say true?" he gasped.

Le smiled modestly at Ginta. "Yeah."

Ginta flashed a fangy grin of approval. "Fuckin A right!" Ginta used her words and Le burst out laughing.

Kouga cut his eyes over to Ginta. "You got a report for me, smart ass, or are you just gonna stand here?"

Ginta snapped to attention. "Yes master Kouga! Inu Yasha and his companions are in the valley south of here sir."

Kouga scoffed, "So they were gonna follow us after all." He looked down at Le. "You ready to head back?"

Le studied Kouga's face for a long moment. "Hey Kouga, you'd say you owe me a favor right?"

Kouga frowned suspiciously at her. "I guess so. Why? You want something?"

"Well, I just thought that you could wait for me before you go running off in search of that dagger. I'll go talk to Koinma about it. Find out if it's a wild goose chase or not. What do ya say?"

He raised a brow at her. "I say yer turning spirit detective on me. Making sure I don't get my hands on something dangerous." He put a hand on his hip and stared down into her eyes. "But I guess I _could_ wait to see what that Koinma guy has got to say about it. And you're right. I do owe you one. So this is it. Got it? No askin for my jewel shards or any other shit. This is it. Got it?" He folded his arms defiantly over his chest.

Ginta watched Kouga and Le with great interest. He wasn't entirely sure what they were talking about, but he was held transfixed none the less. There was energy between his master and this woman. _Perhaps Master Kouga has met his match. _

Le hesitated, annoyed a little. Finally, she threw her hands up. "Fine. Whatever you say Kouga."

Kouga smirked, satisfied. "Fuckin A right," he mimicked Ginta.

Le couldn't help but smile. Kouga was clever; she had to give him that. "Yer such an ass."

Ginta laughed at hearing the master called an ass to his face, and by a woman none the less. "You truly are brave sister," Ginta chuckled.

Kouga rolled his eyes. "Alright, back to your post. I'll be takin Le back to meet her friends." He set his attention on Le again. "You ready?"

"What about my clothes?"

"I told Hakkaku to burn em," he teased.

She looked up at Kouga. "Gee, thanks." She smacked Ginta on the back. "Later bro."

Le followed Kouga south away from the lair. Kouga caught Inu Yasha's scent soon enough and led them to the waiting group.

Inu Yasha and Kagome sensed them coming. "Its both of them, isn't it InuYasha?" Kagome hoped.

Inu Yasha sniffed. "Yep, Kouga and Le."

"Thank goodness!" Shippo beamed.

Kouga appeared in a whirlwind of dust with Le right behind him. "We're back," he greeted smugly.

"Le!" Kagome ran to her with Sango and Shippo in tow. She reached her and stared up at her bandaged head. "What happened?"

Miroku piped up, "Was it one of Naraku's incarnations?"

"Yeah, what's the deal flea bag," Inu Yasha added impatiently.

Kouga glared at the hanyou. "The demon sure as fuck smelled like Naraku," Kouga said smugly, using another one of the words Le favored. "Called himself Yora. He was lookin for my jewel shards."

"So it was a trap," Miroku huffed, shaking his head.

"You've slain the demon then?" Sango asked.

"Yora's dead," Kouga answered.

"But something...something wasn't quite right about him," Le thought aloud. "He didn't seem all that ... intelligent. Like he wasn't quiet sentient." She looked at Kouga. "What do you think?"

Unlike Le, Kouga had fought Naraku's incarnations before. "He was little more then a slobbering beast," the wolf demon answered honestly.

Miroku pondered this for a moment. "Perhaps there is something amiss with Naraku. His incarnations are usually something of a force to be reckoned with."

Kouga waved the monks commentary away. "We took care of Juromaru and Kageromaru didn't we? Yora's history now too. And so what if there is something wrong with Naraku? It will just make him all that much easier to kill." There was hate in the wolf demons flawless blue eyes.

"Right," Inu Yasha growled in hesitant agreement.

"Kagome," Le addressed her friend. "I'm going back for a little bit. Just long enough to go talk to Koinma. You... wanna come with?" She favored Kagome with her best pleading stare.

Kagome smiled. "Don't wanna go alone huh? I guess I can't blame you. You have been gone a while now."

Le grit her teeth. "I'm sure Yusuke is gonna be thrilled."

"Right," Kagome agreed. She was more worried about Le facing Kurama then she was worried about the brash leader of Le's group. "Sure, I'll go. I need to get some stuff from home anyway."

Le turned to Sango. "Can we borrow Kirara?"

Sango was a little surprised. "What? You want to go now?"

"Well, if Yusuke doesn't dick around and actually gets a hold of Boton for me, maybe I could even see Koinma tonight."

Sango shrugged. "Okay."

Le turned back to Kagome. "You ready to blow this joint?"

Kagome shouldered her mostly empty backpack. "See ya all later," she addressed everyone.

Kirara transformed with her usual flare. Kagome hopped on and Le got behind her. "We'll meet you guys back at the village no later then tomorrow." The spirit detective eyed Kouga. "All of you." Kirara was up and off. They disappeared into the sky.

Inu Yasha raised a suspicious brow at Kouga. "All of us? What, she means you too?"

Kouga scoffed at Inu Yasha. "So? She's finding something out for me, not that it's any of your business dog shit."

Miroku was smiling amused. "So what happened to Le's clothes Kouga?"

Kouga spun around and faced the monk. "Huh?"

"You brought her back lookin like one of yer own," Inu Yasha grunted. "She even smells like you. Poor girl."

Sango joined in the teasing. "That was quite the mark you left on her neck too Kouga." She hid a smile in her hand as the wolf demon blushed.

"Morons," Kouga growled. He stomped off in the direction of Kiade's village, regretting that he promised to wait for Le.

Miroku snickered. "I think we've hit a nerve."

Inu Yasha grinned, satisfied. "I think we did." He headed off after Kouga. Miroku and Sango fell in behind him and they began the long trek back to Kiade's village.

42


End file.
